Skip to main content

How does Shakespeare use emotions in Hamlet and Macbeth?

There is a lot of emotion in both Hamlet and Macbeth, and this emotion varies widely. There are, however, significant similarities in the ways Shakespeare displays the emotion of despair in famous soliloquies in both plays, and so it's worth analyzing this trend more closely.


In Act 3, Scene 1 of Hamlet, Hamlet utters some of the most famous words in English literature during his "To be, or not to be" speech (56-89). In...

There is a lot of emotion in both Hamlet and Macbeth, and this emotion varies widely. There are, however, significant similarities in the ways Shakespeare displays the emotion of despair in famous soliloquies in both plays, and so it's worth analyzing this trend more closely.


In Act 3, Scene 1 of Hamlet, Hamlet utters some of the most famous words in English literature during his "To be, or not to be" speech (56-89). In this speech, Hamlet displays muted despair as he contemplates suicide. This is a classic scene, and in it Hamlet broods on the difficult nature of existence and ponders whether or not there is any meaning to life at all.


In Act 5, Scene 5 of Macbeth, Macbeth speaks his "To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow" soliloquy (19-28), a much shorter speech that wrestles with the same themes and emotions as Hamlet's "To be, or not to be." Reflecting on his wife's recent death, Macbeth despairs and regards life as a meaningless enterprise full of anxiety. Therefore, in both plays, Shakespeare uses soliloquies to communicate a poignant, emotional despair wrestling with the concept of meaning in life.

Labels

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more

How did the United States become an imperial power?

"Imperial power" is a bit of a vague label. It tends to mean several things at once, so let's unpack it. In the sense of "this country was built on conquest by force," the "imperial power" part of America actually predates the United States proper. The territories that would become the United States were imperial colonies, established by the great European empires of the 17th and 18th centuries. Much of the US Constitution and American governance generally goes back to England, history's largest and most successful imperial power, but vital aspects of American culture come from other imperial powers, such as France and Spain. Much of American culture comes from sources other than the old empires, but they were key influences on what the United States became. In the sense of "this country treats conquest by force as a fundamental component of its culture, economy and politics," the United States has always been an imperial power. Even earl...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more